Gansuselache Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Order: | †Hybodontiformes |
Family: | †Lonchidiidae (?) |
Genus: | †Gansuselache Wang, Zhang, Zhu, and Zhao, 2009 |
Species: | †G. tungshengi
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Binomial name | |
†Gansuselache tungshengi Wang, Zhang, Zhu, and Zhao, 2009
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Gansuselache is a genus of extinct elasmobranch in the order Hybodontiformes, comprising one species, Gansuselache tungshengi (monotypy) from Gansu Province (Beishan Hills), China.[1] It is known from Fangshankou Formation, which previously interpreted as Permian in age, but reinterpreted as the Early Triassic in later study.[2] A tooth remain tentatively assigned to this genus is also known from Late Permian strata of Poland.[3]
G. tungshengi is known from single specimen which is nearly complete and soft tissue is preserved. With total length reaching 49 centimetres (19 in) it had large spines on two dorsal fins as other hybodonts do. Although classification is uncertain, after tooth morphology, it is tentatively classified to Lonchidiidae.[1]
Gansuselache is known from Fangshankou Formation, which was originally considered as Permian. However, study in 2020 considered that this site and Early Triassic Hongyanjing Formation have same stratigraphic horizon, or even possible that fossils from two formations are known from same site.[2] Those formations represent lake environment,[4] although Fangshankou Formation have only one other fish taxon described (Eochondrosteus), Hongyanjing Formation produced multiple taxa such as several thousand specimens of actinopterygians (including Beishanichthys, Plesiofuro, Boreosomus), other hybodont which preserved narial and oral barbels, cynodont (Beishanodon), lizard-like diapsids, temnospondyls and possible late-surviving lepospondyl.[2][5]